For the Love of Money
by Misscheiviousness
Summary: A band of theives come across Sesshomaru in their quest for ultimate riches and one of their members decides to take on his challenge. First step, infiltrate his personal space and get into his head, second step, Try not to kill self.


Okay, this is a Sesshomaru story with a twist. Now you've got to give it a little while before it gets to Sesshomaru cuz I need to explain the roots to you but I promise it gets there. Just so you have a little more of a basis on Mizu's hair. Its like Yura of Hair's but its light blue. I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA.

Oh and please read & review.

Chapter 1: **Theives of the Elements**

"Hurry! We MUST bring her water! Fluids will stem her fever!" The shoutin man hollered frantically at the already alarmed villagers. Men scrambled helplessly for the stream, bumping into each other while the women scowled, having been scorned earlier for cruel tongues. The only thought on all their minds was the 'little angel' inside the lord's personal temple within his castle.

"We must ward this plague out! It is not normal! We must bring her the richest golds and a great amount of jewels!" A new man spoke, worry grasping his stong, handsome face, his dark eyes clouded. "Band together, village, bring her your support through your pieces!"

Those who had run to fetch water stopped and the scowling women turned, their eyes fixed unsurely upon their lord as he stood perplexedly at the front of his palace.

He did not see how his people's gold could ward the sickness from the beautiful creature within his home, yet he was desperate for her well – being. If he could make her his bride he would truly be the envy of all the kings in all the lands. A soft, melodious voice whispered from within the palace walls pleading for help and strengthening his resolution.

He turned to his gaurds and the travelling priest that had happened upon his village shortly after the girl arrived.

"Bring my personal golds and jewels into the room. You two go into every home and bring whatever valuables you can find. Priest, you wait with me." He then turned to his scrambled people, gazing back at them.

"My people, your contributions will not go unnoticed, especially by your new queen. The fallen angel will truly bring great prosper to our villagew so do not fret – rejoice!" He threw up his hands, the men hollering their approval and the women returning to their angry sulking.

Lowering his head dramatically to the _holy_ ground beneath his feet, the priest smiled, still not looking up when the king finally addressed him, begging him to perfrom the nessceary incantation to free the poor girl from her _spell_. Still he did not look up as the king led him in, nor when he was left inside the now sealed room with the 'angel' to purify her.

"AHAHAHA! No way, Kaze! He didn't _really _make a speech, did he?" A strikingly handsome kitsune, gawfed gleefully as he picked up a solid gold goblet, examining the cup within his clawed fingers hungrily. He turned his bright emerald eyes on his companion who layed atop the pile of their glimmering loot, his arms crossed lazily behind his head and his strong, bare chest shining in the sunlight. The demon chuckled.

"Yup. Im telling you, Chikyu, the fool was practically ready to pee himself at the idea that _he _could marry Mizu if he saved her." He laughed again, "It was priceless… And as usual I blew them away with my superb acting skills…"

A throaty growl rumbled from behind the pile and with a heavy smashin sound the hoard of loot came pouring down, dragging the unsuspecting demon down and beneath it.

"Hey, what the-" His head poked out from within his glittering cage and he stared up at the furry face of a gigantic, light tan coloured cat demon, the fiery red markings on its fur matching its bright eyes and the three jagged rings around each of its swaying twin tails. It blinked once and then preceeded to lick his face as though he hadnt just assaulted him.

"Yuck, Hi!" The growling wolf demon began, pulling his bronzed body out from the pile and standing up, only to be pushed back again.

"_Your_ superb acting skills! I think _Im _the one that had the superb acting skills, all you had to do was act like a phony, which is all those stupid monks are! Priest, my-"

"Ah! The _angel _emerges!" The pretty fox demon piped up again, having simply moved aside and continued examining the cup when his friend was claimed by the barage of goods. "Where ere you?"

"Hmm.. who are you, my father?" Kaze snorted lightly and Chikyu chucked the cup at him. "For your _information_ there's a nice fantastic hot spring over there. Just because I hang out with you dirty demons doesn't mean I have top smell like you."

The speaker with the soft voice became visible now, sliding off the fire – cats back, her small bare feet hitting the ground but not making a sound. She was easily mistaken for an angel upon looking at her, especially if you were so unlucky as to be caught staring into her icy, crystal blue orbs. Her skin was a pure, milky white that looked as though the clouds had been poured, themselves, into her colouring and felt just as fluffy-soft as they looked. Striaght cut blue hair fell silkily from her head, spilling until just above her pale, bare shoulders.

"As a matter of fact maybe you should go bathe now, your dirty scents might rub off on me."

She boredly tugged the bottom of her short white kimono that hugged her body almost protectively, the silky material coming in around her waist within a matching obi and slid down her hips, ending above her knees. The kimono was sleeveless so as not to restrict her in any way and the only design on the kimono was the tiny stitching of a drip of water that she had put on the very bottom in the left corner.

"But I like it when you smell like me, its like we…" He raised one of his thin, orange eyebrows playfully and instantly Mizu's face was burning, a look opf embarrasment mingled with playful hatred toiling in her eyes. After all their years together she still couldn't resist Chikyu's tainted charm. And she wasn't the only one.

"Oh, shut up Chikyu, you perve," Kaze growled once again pulling his muscular body out of the pile of riches. "And don't push me, _Mizu, _before I have to fling yopu back into that spring and…"

He spoke impressively, turning to smirk at the girl only to find her frolicking happily in the gold with Hi. He scowled and crossed his arms, purposefully avoiding his foxen friends laughing eyes. The girl was a complete airhead in his opinion, yet his dark brown eyes did not leave her as she played.

"A-haha-ha!" She sung a laugh, gazing lovingly at an enormous emerald gleaming in the sunlight. "We haven't pulled a looting this huge since we left the Northern lands!"

"Yeah, that brother of yours is terrible at watching over his lands, Kaze." Chikyu piped, attempting to wrestle a ruby – encrusted sword form Hi's large fanged mouth unsuccessfully.

"Kaeh. That fool, Kouga's too busy chasing after the _jewel shards_ to care about the north. Serve's the old man right for choosing him over me as his successor." Kaze sat, his long, powerful legs crossed and watched Mizu admire the jewel with calmed eyes.

Truth was, Kaze didn't really care about the northern lands, his brother or his heritage. He couldn't dream of being any thing other than what he was. A theif. And he, his band of outlaws and their enormous wealth was about all he needed.

Their looting had terrorized the villages of the Soth, North and half of the eastern lands, avoiding a forest where it is said an insane half demon roams. Their incredible manipulation of deceit and appeasing had led them out of many the human and demon villages with more wealth than they could spend or even understand. Yet they kept going.

For Kaze the hunt was what it was about. Finding the area with the most wealth and than sucking them dry of it. The lure of putting himself out there and teasing the humans with what they wanted to hear and what they wanted to see with only the thought of robbing them blind. He loved knowing that he could live like a king with all his riches but craved even more.

He also loved the game of manipulation. Working with Hi or Chikyu or Mizu… and combining their deceptivenesses to pull off heists of magnitude. He loved it.

"With chasing after the shards and that little human woman Kouga has no time for the north… What a fool, Ningen women, keh." Chikyu spoke cooly as though revolted by the thought, not catching the dark look Mizu shot him. "They should come willingly yet he chases… I just don't understand why…"

Chikyu's methods of theft were both slick and disgusting to Mizu. He barely lifted a finger.

The kitsune would linger on the outskirts of a wealthy, woman-populated village and romance the unsuspecting creatures, filling their naïve heads with sad stories about his dying village and promises of his heart. In the end, the love struck humans and demonesses would rob their own villages for him and he would disappear, leaving them with nothing but a sure punsihment from the enraged men and husbands.

And after years of having himself fawned over by them, any shred of respect he had for women, especially human ones, had long since disappeared. He could get anything, any reaction, any feeling, any_thing_ from them he wanted with ease. Well, Mizu was the exception but he vaguely believed that he could have her if he wanted yet he fought the thought painfully. She was his sister in his mind and as hard as it was, sometimes even more than others, he had to ward any rogue ideas. He just wasn't sure if kaze was as determined with that as he.

Hi finally managed to tug the sword from Chikyu's hand and reverted back to his small size, trotting proudly away with it.

"Haha! You got robbed by a kit-ty" Mizu sing-songed mockingly, stroking the fire cats furry head affectionately. Chikyu scowled.

"He's not a kitty. He's a little _bastard._" He lunged at Hi but the little demon just leapt out of the way, hopping on his planted head and jumping over to the trunk of a large tree with his prize.

That was all Hi really cared about. The chase. Being a permanent beast demon, material possesions meant very little to the cat, even though he could appreciate their glamour. It was the game Hi loved though. The excitement of the deceit and then the iminenet chase. Being so slick as to constantly toy with danger.

Hi's villages, always human, were conservative ones or ones where a lord and lady already exsisted. Ones that couldn't be swayed by tempt or brute strength were where he shone, using his adorable small appearance to get in and his large, powerful one to get out.

It was not suprising how easily people fell for an injured kitten. Especially one with a soft mewl and large, trusting eyes.

Kaze's eyes opened suddenly and instantly his sharp ears pricked. They had been seated with the old for too long and, if that village was anywhere near as determined as the others, the decived people would be nearing their trial. He sighed.

"Alright minions – Ow, I was kidding, Mizu - Let's get going. I think our lovely hosts may be wanting their stuff back." Kaze rubbed his arm where Mizu had pinched it, helping Hi load their possessions into the large crate loaded into the back of their stolen ox – cart.

"Yeah, alright… My butts getting numb anyway." Chikyu yawned and stood, leaping atop the box and seating himself, cross – legged, anyway. Mizu seated herself boredly atop Hi, who had reverted to his large size, and taken to the sky. Which left Kaze to drive the cart.

Taking his perch unhappily upon the hard drivers seat, Kaze tugged the reins on the ox and set the beast in a pace towards their secret hiding space. The wolf demon turned towards the west, his sensitive nose crunching as the ox bastard took a completely unexpected crap, the mess flickering towards him and a splat of it landing next to him. The other two roared with laughter.

"Oh yes. We are your minions, Oh mighty master of Poo."

"I hate you both…"

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A soft knocking vebrated from behind the finely crafted frame of his shoji screen doors. A short, fidgety shadow lay across the papery surface and gazing coldly at it the demon set down his quill. The interuption was a proper escape from his mound of papers, parchments and letters yet he was still irritated he head been disturbed at all. The powerful demon spoke, his strong yet light voice peircing the door and causing the fidgeting visitor to freeze, an irritating silence claiming the corridor. He spoke again.

"I said, _come_ _In_."

The door slid open, admitting the bearer of the shadow, a tiny frog demon adorned in respectful brown robes and a stupid little hat that was almost as annoying to the silent demon as the toad itself. The little creature spoke up.

"F-forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru, for bothering you in your st-study," The demon stuttered at his master incoherently, his obvious terror somewhat amusing to the stoic demon lord. The little creature knew his master's study was strictly off limits unless he was there and truly needed to be addressed in the case of an emergency.

"What is it jakken? Have you come just to bother me and apoloize for bothering me or is there a message behind you stupidity?" The one called Sesshomaru spoke, his cold amber eyes as lifeless as his silky, silver hair yet each syllable in his words rang his irritation. Jakken gulped down his terror, his eyes widening as he remembered what he came for.

"Master Sesshomaru, the gaurds came to me.. A small village – human populated – in the western lands... looted! … Cant believe it." Jakken stopped his blabbering at one look at his lords cool eyes, realizing that he needed to make sense.

"Master… It would seem that finally, the Western lands has been targeted by the Theives of the Elements…"

Mizu - Water

Kaze – Wind

Chikyu – Earth

Hi – Fire

Ningen - Human

Okay, please Read & Review. I know it took a lot of time to get to our Inuyasha characters but I really needed to give you the basis. Trust me, its gunna get better, love yous

Also, check out my other story – Sesshomaru's Plague


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